Ex-Rangers star Greg Shields bids for Fife Cup history with St Andrews United
As he bids to make history by becoming the first ever manager to lead St Andrews United to a Fife Cup final win, Greg Shields admits he faces a “massive challenge” to overcome a very good young Dunfermline Athletic side at Saints’ Clayton Park Recreation Ground on Wednesday night in a 7.45pm kick-off.
However, Shields, 49, who ironically is a former Pars first team assistant manager, interim boss and head of football academy, all between 2019 and 2024, doesn’t subscribe to the view that his side are massive underdogs in the showpiece encounter.
Shields said: “It doesn’t bother me who’s favourites, it means nothing.
"It’s on the day. Dunfermline first team have had a fantastic Scottish Cup run this year and were underdogs for two of the games – against Hibernian and Aberdeen – but they’ve won both of them.
"Now they are underdogs for the semi-final against Falkirk this weekend but I think they have a great opportunity to win that game.
"If we win, we win. If the boys are not good enough on the night and Dunfermline are better, great, but it will be a good opportunity to see where Dunfermline are at as well with the squad they put out, how well their youth system is doing.
"Dunfermline are a good side, with a lot of good young players as they’ve shown with the ones that have got into their first team. They’ve got a manager who believes in giving players opportunities who have done well through their youth years and are now progressing.
"Anyone that comes in for Dunfermline, whether it’s older players or younger players, for this game will be a really hard opposition and a tough task.
"It’s all about standards, learning from so called better players and good for our club and a good occasion.
"I’m just delighted to have got to a final because it was a hard challenge we had getting there, going away to Hill of Beath and Dundonald, hard places to go. I’m proud of them for getting there and it’s a moment where we have an opportunity to get what the club has never had.
"We’re not playing it down because it’s the Fife Cup. We would like to win any cup but we understand the tasks that lie ahead because of how good Dunfermline could be. It’s who turns up on the night and how their mentality is.
"If they want to work hard and do the right things, they’ll have an opportunity to win the game.
"If they don’t want to do that, they’d be as well not turning up.”
Shields was speaking in the wake of his side picking up a morale-boosting 3-2 home league win over Newtongrange Star in the East of Scotland Football League Premier Division on Tuesday evening.
In Saints’ previous league game at home against Dunbar United three days earlier, the visitors claimed all three points on a cold and windy Saturday afternoon.
United, eighth with 39 points from 26 matches, have one game before the Fife Cup final. They host Hill of Beath Hawthorn in an RJM Sports League Cup third round encounter which kicks off at 2.30pm this Saturday.